1. Field
This invention relates to smart displays, and more particularly to synchronizing smart display state data in remote and local modes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Smart displays, for example Microsoft's® Mira (derived from the Spanish language for “to watch”), enable users the freedom of running a software application remotely on a “base” computer in remote mode or on a smart display in local mode. Smart displays are modal. That is, local applications can only be run when a remote session is not active.
Smart displays are wireless monitors that use Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a or WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) 802.11b (IEEE Standard for Local EEE 802.11a-1999 (ISO/IEC 8802-11:1999/Amd 1:2000(E)), Information technology—Telecommunications and information exchange between systems—Local and metropolitan area networks—Specific requirements—Part 11: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) specifications—Amendment 1: High-speed Physical Layer in the 5 GHz band; IEEE 802.11b-1999 Supplement to 802.11-1999, Wireless LAN MAC and PHY specifications: Higher speed Physical Layer (PHY) extension in the 2.4 GHz band) technology for transmitting/receiving signals to/from another computer(s). Smart displays have embedded operating systems, such as Microsoft® Windows® CE.NET. Smart Window devices make it easy for a user to travel around an environment, such as a home, without having to carry or move their personal computer with them. The smart display device can run applications that used to be run solely on the personal computer. For example, a smart display device can run a television remote control program.
A problem that exists, however, is that since the smart display device is modal (meaning that either the smart display is running an application in a local mode, or that the base computer is running the application in a remote mode, but the smart display cannot run the application while the base computer is in remote mode) the state data stored on the base computer can easily become out of synchronization with the state data stored on the smart display.